Wonderful Writers: Toni Cade Bambara

Hi All! Wonderful Writers is a weekly segment that comes out every Wednesday! Every week I spotlight and discuss one of my favorite authors, books by them, and talk about their writing styles and such. I hope you’ll enjoy. Feel free to participate as well by writing your own post and as always you are welcome to use the meme/pic if you’d like (just remember to credit me).

About: Toni Cade Bamabra (March 25, 1939 – December 9, 1995) was an African-American author, documentary film-maker, social activist and college professor. Her first book was Gorilla, My Love (1972), which is a collection of short stories. Bambara was active in the 1960s Black Arts movement and the emergence of black feminism. Much of her written work was political, concerned with injustice and oppression in general and with the fate of African-American communities and grassroots political organizations. Bambara was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2013.

What I’ve Read (So Far):

Gorilla, My Love

Why She’s A Wonderful Writer: I was first exposed to Bambara’s works through my Fiction class. Immediately after reading the story “Gorilla, My Love”, I was drawn to her storytelling style. Her stories range from comedy to the more serious and they always leave her readers with some kind of overall message that she wants you to take away from it. Her female protagonist’s are confident young women who are faced with various obstacles, but always try their hardest to succeed. I highly recommend reading Bambara’s work for her entertaining stories that have eye-opening content.